Did you know that every year nearly 700 women die from pregnancy-related complications in the United States? Even more shockingly, over 450 of these annual deaths are preventable! Being aware of serious complications that women face during pregnancy and postpartum is critical to saving lives.
To support this mission to save lives, the CDC has launched a campaign aimed at reducing pregnancy-related deaths. Launched in August of 2020, the campaign called “Hear Her,” is still running strong today and hopes to empower women and their support network to take postpartum concerns seriously.
Most people have heard of postpartum depression, but that’s not the only health concern that should be monitored in new mothers. In this article, we gather facts from the CDC’s Hear Her campaign to help get you up to speed on a range of postpartum concerns.
First, let’s cover the most well-known concern: postpartum depression.
Having a baby is a serious life-changing event for a woman and her family. Changing hormones and roller-coaster emotions can take their toll on a woman who is using her body to grow another human being. Sometimes a pregnant woman’s body becomes chemically unbalanced, resulting in depression. There are three levels of depression that can commonly occur during and after pregnancy:
Baby blues are a mild feeling of unease, including feelings of anger, sadness, loneliness, or anxiety experienced by up to eight out of ten new mothers. Baby blues can be caused by sudden changes in hormones and generally last only a few days after birth, no longer than two weeks.
Postpartum depression, also called perinatal depression, is a mood disorder that can be caused by a chemical imbalance. It is similar to regular depression, but occurs during the last trimester or up to a year after pregnancy and is estimated to affect up to 15% of women who gave birth. Depression is usually diagnosed when these signs are present and last longer than two weeks (and not following a traumatic event):
Postpartum psychosis is an emergency situation affecting two out of 1000 births, usually in the first month after delivery. A mother dealing with postpartum psychosis should seek medical attention immediately. Signs of this include:
For any of the three layers of postpartum depression, it’s important to speak with your doctor during your postpartum follow-up appointment. If you aren’t comfortable going to see the doctor that delivered your child, our online physicians are available to help. Schedule your appointment now with Dr. Howard, our board-certified OB/GYN.
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If you have a loved one who is experiencing signs of postpartum depression, encourage them to discuss their experience with a professional, whether it’s a therapist or a physician. Postpartum depression doesn’t always have to be treated with medication; a common treatment option is psychotherapy counseling.
Related: Talk Tuesdays - Episode 1: Postpartum Depression
It’s not just postpartum depression that affects the health and livelihood of pregnant or new mothers, there are a host of warning signs to keep an eye out for both during and after pregnancy. If addressed at an early enough time, lives can be saved.
As a pregnant or postpartum woman, report any of these signs to your doctor immediately (or as a family member, encourage your loved one to seek help):
Find more information on each of these signs or symptoms, and what they could mean, on the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) website. You can also find personal “Hear Her” stories on the CDC’s campaign page, which include video testimonials of each woman’s personal story about the life-threatening symptoms she experienced during or after pregnancy.
If you recently delivered your baby or are nearing delivery and you are suffering from any of the warning signs above, we encourage you to play it safe and bring up your concerns with your OB/GYN or another medical professional.
Postpartum Support International is an organization that can help.
They also offer online specialty support groups as well as resources for loss and grief.
If you are concerned that your loved one has any of the postpartum concerns in this article, you are in the right place. The most helpful thing you can do is to offer a listening ear and show your loved one support. Provide her with resources and encourage her to seek medical help, while offering to help set up her appointment or take her to the doctor or therapist.
This type of conversation isn’t easy, so conversation guides are available on the CDC’s campaign page to get you started. Are you ready to “hear her” and take postpartum concerns seriously to prevent unnecessary deaths? The best way you can get involved is by watching for the warning signs in your pregnant and postpartum friends and family and responding with love and persistence.
